## (4) Challenges involved in the integration of arterial industry and venous industry

As shown above the use of circulative resources has advanced. However, there is a possibility that while demand for relatively less expensive waste will be increased when the price of natural resources soars, use of waste material will decrease if the price of natural resources declines. Moreover, as the supply of circulative resources is basically affected by the circumstances of the generation side of the waste equation, without paying due consideration to its end-user, it is not easy to say that the balance of supply and demand is well maintained. Additionally, there is a problem that it is necessary to keep the quality of circulative resources stable for specific product manufacture.

In addition, use of waste material may be a factor for cost reduction, however in terms of quality, it is generally difficult for products using waste materials to exceed ones made only of natural resources. To achieve equal quality it is necessary to extract impure substances or remove stains contained in circulative resources, which adversely may lead to higher production costs. In the standardization system, such as JIS, there are many cases where circulative resources are not supposed to be used for products. On this point, some problems have been solved already in the Environmental JIS. It is also essential to raise consumer awareness, and encourage them not to demand excessive quality in cyclic products such as recycled paper.

### 4. A vision of a sound material-cycle society considering Year 2050

There are several prior conditions in realizing a sustainable socioeconomics. Herman Daly, an economist, propounded the following three principles so that the earth can be maintained in a stable state. (1) For a renewable resource, the sustainable rate of use can be no greater than the rate of generation. (2) For a nonrenewable resource, the sustainable rate of use can be no greater than the rate at which a renewable resource, used sustainably, can be substituted for it. (3) For a pollutant, the sustainable rate of emission can be no greater than the rate at which the pollutant can be absorbed by the environment.

It may be said that our challenge for the low-carbon society with a long-term target of reducing the emission of Greenhouse gas by 60 to 80 % from the present by 2050 is the competitive struggle for those human beings in existence to achieve a balanced state for the earth.

The same rhetoric can be applied to the establishment of a sound material-cycle society. In the situation today, where the waste issue is escalating globally, and anxiety for the stable supply of resources is becoming stronger, in addition to each participant's concrete activities to ensure the efficient use of natural resources, cyclical use of resources and promotion of the use of renewable resources, what is needed most strongly is a revolution in the socioeconomic system, based on the reconstruction of various recycling systems at every stage of production, distribution, consumption/use and abandonment/disposal, and the actual achievement of charging for garbage disposal. As a result, economic growth and contribution to local revitalization are expected. We are now in a position of “not allowing any delay” when aiming for the sustainable Year 2050, and passing the “milestone” year of 2015, the year regarded as the target in the Second Fundamental Plan for Establishing a sound material-cycle society.

## Examples approaches of citizens and civilian organizations for establishment of a sound material-cycle society

There are now already several advanced approaches, and we now introduce some leading-edge examples, in fiscal 2007 as follows. 1. The “Citizen made town environment of Genki Grand-prix.” Sponsored by the Specified Nonprofit Activities Corporation, known as the Genki Network for creating a sustainable society. 2. The Award by the Minister of the Environment to the “Promoter who has established a sound material-cycle society” in the 3Rs movement. 3. The “Container and Packaging 3Rs promotion Award by the Ministry of Environment” to a packaging and container 3Rs movement. 4. The “Food Recycling Promotion Award by the Ministry of Environment” to a food recycling promotion movement.

### 1. The “Citizen made town environment of Genki Grand-prix”

The Specified Nonprofit Activities Corporation, known as the Genki Network for creating a sustainable society founded a “Citizen made town environment Genki Grand-prix Award” in Year 2001 and began to give the award to those entities promoting leading-edge activities.

## (1) Grand-prix of Year 2008

Subject name: “A Sustainable Food and Environment Promotion Project Made by the Circle/Harmony of the Community”

Group name: Hokkaido Nakashibetsu Agricultural High School- Agricultural Club, in Nakashibetsu -Machi, Nakashibetsu-Gun, Hokkaido

Employing a slogan of “Making our hometown a world-class dairy farming village!,” and aiming to attain the sustainable development of “our roots” as one of the foremost dairy areas in Japan, they are developing activities to study, manufacture and disseminate information about the “food and environment” of the region. They have built a network of people, including infants and school children who will lead the next generation, ex-